Catholics give mixed review to state-of-state address

Last week's "State of the State" address by Gov. George E. Pataki has sparked both congratulations and criticism from Catholic officials in the Albany Diocese.

New York State Catholic Conference executive director John Kerry called the address a typical election-year message, "very astutely crafted to address the political concerns of the general public," from tax cuts to a decrease in violent crime.

Mr. Kerry believes that Gov. Pataki is trying to establish programs and policies that can be agreed upon by both the Assembly and the Senate, focusing on such issues as welfare reform, the needs of the elderly and the environment.

"His intentions are good," Mr. Kerry stated. "Overall, the Governor tries to address the needs of the state. We're just not sure that at all times all segments [of the population] can enjoy the fruits of these policies."

Expressing a similar view was Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, executive director of Catholic Charities for the Albany Diocese. She cheered the Governor's announcement of a $1.4 billion surplus in the state budget and his proposal of legislation to guarantee health care for all children under the age of 18.

Death penalty

However, both Sister Maureen and Mr. Kerry voiced doubts about some of Gov. Pataki's claims on other issues, the most prominent being capital punishment.

In his address, the Governor stated that "the death penalty has saved lives" and that "clearly that law -- and the message it sends to criminals -- has contributed to the unprecedented drop in our state's murder rate."

"I would like to see the statistics that really demonstrate that the threat of the death penalty has cut down on violent crime," Sister Maureen objected. "I don't think that's accurate."

In other states where capital punishment has been legal for years, she added, there has been no drop in violent crime as a direct result. Instead, she credited the expansion of the police force and neighborhood centers with the decrease.

Mr. Kerry stated: "I can't say I agree with the Governor's comments. There might be other persons who would question the enactment of the death penalty as the primary reason for the reduction in violent crime. There are many who believe that the economy has more to do with a reduction in violent crime."

Disappointed

Gov. Pataki's approach to the issue of juvenile justice was disappointing, added Sister Maureen. Rather than "getting caught up in law and order and sound bytes [like] `We have to provide tougher sentences'" for criminals, she wished he had made more mention of preventing future violence among juveniles through after-school programs and other venues.

"I didn't hear any of that," she said.

Welfare reform

Another issue that raised objections from the pair was welfare reform. Gov. Pataki claimed in his address that 456,000 welfare recipients were "freed from the bonds of welfare dependency" by being dropped from the state's welfare rolls.

"They are emerging from that system to a strong economy that's generating an abundance of hope, opportunity and good jobs," the Governor said.

But Sister Maureen commented that "in this part of New York State, I have yet to see those opportunities that show a sense of hope and opportunity for those coming off welfare."

The $1.4 billion surplus in the state budget touted by the Governor should be used to fund workfare programs and provide job training for former welfare recipients, she advised. While many welfare recipients dropped from the rolls in this first year of welfare reform have some job experience and skills, she said, subsequent years will find those less and less capable of easily finding a job turned out on their own.

Off welfare

"There's a perception on the part of the general public that `Now we've taken care of welfare reform, and we can move on,'" she said. "As we move on to the second and third year of welfare reform, it will be much more difficult to place people coming off welfare. We need to stress the job training. We need to constantly be building that infrastructure. We're setting people up to fail if we don't do that."

Sister Maureen also wondered whether those coming off welfare today will continue to be self-sufficient.

"We're seeing a 67 percent increase in utilization of our food pantries, and these people are the working poor," she stated. "I don't think these people would say that [the job opportunities] are very helpful."

Jobs

Mr. Kerry told The Evangelist that "the jury is out" on whether the drop in the welfare rolls is due to specific governmental programs or the strength of the economy.

In addition, while the Governor claimed 250,000 private-sector jobs have been created in the state in the past three years, Mr. Kerry said that there still aren't enough jobs to accommodate all of those looking for work.

"There wasn't much mention of Schenectady," Sister Maureen pointed out. "It's a little puzzling how in Albany, they could give a talk on all the great job opportunities in the shadow of GE." The General Electric Co., once the fulcrum for Schenectady's economy, is now noted for moving hundreds of jobs out of the area.

Health care

Sister Maureen deemed the Governor's remarks on health care "the most exciting thing about his message."

Gov. Pataki touted the Child Health Plus program, which has been expanded to cover 250,000 children and now includes in-hospital health care as well. He also proposed a comprehensive healthcare program for all children under age 18.

"I think the Governor should be congratulated on that," Sister Maureen stated. "I concur with that, and I think the Child Health Plus program has been a Godsend. We need to make sure every child is eligible and can access services.

"I look forward to working with the program and the governor's office to coordinate that," she added. "No child should go without health care in New York State."

Concerns

Mr. Kerry voiced more "cautious optimism" about the Governor's proposal. He said that the Catholic Conference "has serious concerns regarding health care" on several counts:

* that poor and working-class families "still have trouble getting access to quality health care," particularly in light of the state's "managed-care regime;"

* that Catholic hospitals and healthcare institutions may not be able to compete within the governor's proposed plan; and

* that "the term `comprehensive health services' causes some concern." While the Catholic Conference believes all persons deserve comprehensive health coverage, he explained, "We do not want them to receive health care which would cause them to seek out abortion" or other objectionable health services.

The most encouraging issue that emerged for Mr. Kerry from the Governor's address was that of education. Gov. Pataki announced that in the coming months, funding for pre-kindergarten programs will become available statewide and will be increased to ten times the current amount by the year 2001.

"Often, we find that the general policies espoused by the Governor in terms of increasing pre-K programs etc. are all fine and good, but not just the governmental schools should benefit," Mr. Kerry said. "We were pleased to see a percentage of the funding earmarked for non-public schools."

(01-15-98) [[In-content Ad]]